Safety and sustainability go hand in hand
The EnerSys manufacturing facility in Longmont, Colorado reached yet another milestone in April 2022 – an additional year without a recordable injury or lost time injury, earning the facility a Safety Award.
Longmont has gone over 800 days without a recordable or lost time injury, which is equivalent to 347,737 man-hours worked since last recordable injury, a huge success for Longmont’s employees.
Dennis Barton, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Specialist at Longmont attributes the success to the culture at EnerSys – especially within the Longmont family. “For each new hire, we take the time to get to know each and every employee, and prioritize sharing stories and building trust,” said Dennis. “The extra attention to facilitating that interpersonal knowledge and culture goes a long way in keeping everyone safe – you have to trust each other.”
Dennis also cites support from leadership at Longmont for the success. “When we have an idea of how to do things better, we work to make it happen,” said Dennis.
One of these ideas mentioned is a digital counter, to count and display how many hours worked since the last recordable injury where everyone can see it. Located next to the coffee machine and other award plaques, seeing the counter tick higher and higher not only serves as a motivator, but also as a reminder of safety protocols.
The Longmont team also implemented a Monthly Safety Bulletin authored by Dennis, where he covers seasonal safety tips for home and personal lives, like how to safely get up and down ladders when hanging lights during the winter holiday season. The safety bulletin is also posted on the breakroom TV.
“We have an open-door policy when it comes to safety,” said Dave Lucero, General Manager of Space and Medical U.S. at Longmont. “It’s all about effective communication too. When it comes to safety, clear communication is absolutely vital, but also ensuring that you have an open dialogue for people to ask questions if they don’t understand something is also a huge component of a safe – and happy – workplace.”